Comfort
by HiddenKindness
Summary: Maka x Soul. Soul wasn't exactly sure what awoke him that morning. Instinct told him something was wrong.
1. Chapter 1: Postcard

Howdy! This is only my second attempt at a Soul Eater story - and my first attempt at a Soul Eater multi-chapter piece. The only thing that worries me a bit is that Soul may be a little OCC, but then again, I don't think we saw Soul's true colours. I believe Soul's more caring than he makes out. Stay tuned for more chapters in the coming days/weeks. :)

**Disclaimer: As if Soul Eater is mine. I'm not that cool.**

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><p>Soul wasn't sure what awoke him that morning. The feeling of dread seemed to spread through his mind – and as he got out of bed he was surprised that he didn't feel tired. He glanced at his alarm clock, yet to set off its annoying tune, and inwardly groaned. 6am. <em>That's far too early. <em>He thought. The feeling of sadness still filled him though. Instinct told him something was wrong. Avoiding the pile of dirty clothing on his bedroom floor with the agility that even a ninja would be proud of, he opened his bedroom door and entered the hallway, pulling on an old shirt that was resting on his desk chair as he went.

His ears picked up the soft sounds of crying coming from behind the door to Maka's bedroom. He approached the door, and leant softly on the frame, his usual aloofness influencing his pose. His face, however, remained to hold its worried expression. He knocked gently in the centre of the door, and the crying within ceased.

"Maka, it's me. Are you alright?" He asked.

A long pause. No reply.

"I'm coming in, okay?" He continued.

Soul opened the door in one smooth motion and saw Maka curled up in her bed, wet streaks running down her cheeks. Soul's aloofness dissipated immediately as he crossed the room to be by her side. The bed shifted under his weight and he pulled Maka close to his chest in a hug, his chin resting on her head.

"What's wrong Maka?" He asked, his tone of voice quiet and kind.

Fresh tears ran down Maka's face to soak into Soul's shirt. She didn't answer.

"You can tell me, you know." He whispered.

A sniffle.

Feeling her pull away from his embrace slightly, he released her to look in her eyes directly. His gaze fell to something she clutched tightly in her fist. A crumpled postcard. It was this time in the morning that the day's post usually arrived.

"It's from my mother." Maka said, her voice hoarse from crying.

She gestured for him to take it, which he did, and straightened it out the best he could. It bore an image of a beautiful orange sunset, with the glistening ocean in the background. At the bottom of the image, _Thinking of you_ had been printed in font that resembled calligraphy.

He turned the card over, and handwriting he guessed to be that of Maka's mother came into view. He scanned the writing quickly, and his face dropped as he took it in. One part seemed to stand out from the rest.

…_I know I promised you I'd see you very soon, but something's come up. I'm sorry, Maka. It'll be at least six months. I love you._

"Oh Maka, I'm sorry." Soul said as he dropped the card and embraced her again, her tears beginning again.

The pair just sat, in each other's arms, for a few minutes, the only sound breaking the silence being the occasional sniffle from Maka.

Soul moved his face to allow him to smell Maka's hair. _Strawberries._

"I know life at times can be hard," He whispered softly. "but life presents challenges for us."

Maka buried her head deeper into Soul's shirt.

"Some challenges are harder than others, like getting Black Star to keep quiet for more than five seconds." He continued.

Maka smiled against his chest.

"Challenges like this one," He said, picking up the postcard again. "are really difficult."

Another sniffle.

"But you have to remember that the challenges of life aren't meant to be faced alone." Soul said, smiling. He lowered his arms to allow himself to look into her green eyes again.

"I'll always be here for you," He whispered, wiping another tear from her cheek with his thumb.

Maka smiled, and pulled him close to hug him again.

_Stuff being cool for once. _He thought. _This is more important._

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><p><strong>...And that's chapter one! Please make my day and take a few seconds to review. It means so much to me. If you like you could even give me a few ideas before writer's block sets in. Hope you liked it.<br>Edit: Chapter Two is up! I'm planning each chapter (I think they'll be about seven-ish) and from here I pledge to write better. This chapter almost makes me cringe...**


	2. Chapter 2: Basketball

I got chapter two out rather quickly - within hours in fact! I had a double study period at school. When I asked what I was writing, I argued it was for A-Level English Literature. It's a good thing they didn't know I don't even do English for my A-levels. Oh well. At least I was doing something productive! Hope you enjoy this chapter. - Léa

**Disclaimer: I don't or ever will own Soul Eater.**

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><p>"I know exactly what you need." Soul smirked. His white hair, still looking remarkably good even with a severe case of bedhead, fell into his eyes. He quickly brushed it away.<p>

"Let's go for a game of basketball," He said, shifting his weight and getting off the bed. Maka groaned out loud.

_Looks like she needs some encouragement._

"Just you and me." He continued in his playful tone.

A pause.

"Heh," She said, wiping her cheeks with the sleeve of her top roughly. "...because I don't think I could take Black Star's constant chatter about him surpassing God right now." She grinned.

"That's just a challenge that _his_ life has set him, I guess." Soul said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Maka nodded. "Yeah, You're right. Just let me get dressed properly, and we'll go." She said.

"Sure." He replied, turning to exit the room.

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><p>After a quick breakfast the weapon and his meister arrived at the courts. It was still reasonably early, and the air still held the freshness of the night. The sun, though not fully awake, laughed continuously in its usual monotonous voice.<p>

Taking the ball from under his arm, Soul turned to face Maka, whose expression was one of insecurity.

"You know how bad I am at this." She sighed as he began to bounce the ball expertly around him. She tried to swipe the ball away from him, but all he did was smirk as he continued to remain control of the ball. She tried again and again to get the ball away from him, to no avail. He even had the cheek to raise his free hand and give a false yawn.

"_Soul!_" Maka moaned, her tone one of annoyance.

"Yes Maka?" Soul replied, stopping to spin the ball expertly on his index finger. Maka just huffed.

"I thought this was to make me feel better?" She said, never stopping her attempts to get the ball from him.

"You're right. I'm sorry," He said, allowing the ball to fall from its rotation on his finger when Maka caught it. She began mimicking Soul's earlier movements of bouncing the ball around herself, all the while Soul stood with a smirk on his face.

"You're better than you think, you know. D'you remember that game we had once where you managed to get it in the hoop from the other side of the court? I was impressed."

"Beginner's luck." Maka replied. At that moment Soul reached up to brush a strand of his hair out of the way of his crimson eyes – an action that seldom failed to make Maka's heart flutter. Her sudden lack of concentration caused the ball to fall from her control and sent it bouncing in the opposite direction. Soul immediately went to retrieve it.

"You may be good, Maka," Soul grinned, his teeth gleaming. "But you'll never be as good as me."

"You think so?" Asked Maka, her voice full of sudden determination.

Soul paused to bend his arms to prepare a shot at the hoop, but at the precise moment of release, Maka gave him a sharp poke in the ribs. As a result the ball was sent too far left and missed the hoop by several feet.

Soul gave his meister a glare but Maka was laughing too much to catch it.

"So much for being better than me!" She joked.

"That would have gone in if it wasn't for you!" He complained.

"Soul's right," Said a voice from behind them. "his posture was perfectly symmetrical until you ruined it." The pair turned, and was greeted with Kid standing proudly, his jacket looking recently drycleaned and neat. Maka smirked in reply.

"He started it!" Maka said, poking Soul playfully in the side again.

"How about it, Kid? I reckon I could beat you with both of you against me." Soul laughed as Maka went to retrieve the ball from where it has escaped to once again.

"No thanks. The hoop is completely straight. The pole is exactly ninety degrees from the ground." Kid replied.

"And…?" Soul sighed, almost immediately regretting asking.

"_And_ if I threw the ball at it, it could move. One degree to the left or right would ruin its symmetry."

Soul rolled his eyes.

_Of course that'd be the reason._ He thought to himself.

Maka had overheard their short conversation and returned to Soul's side, ball in hand.

"Hey Kid! Where are Liz and Patty this morning?" She asked politely.

"Unfortunately they don't seem to enjoy mornings like this," He said softly, pausing to smile at the peaceful view around them. "They'd much rather stay in bed all day." Kid said, almost shrugging.

"Not really a bad thing," Said Soul. He did love to have a lie-in every now and then. Not that Blair let him. Often he'd be rudely awoken with her boobs in his face, earning him a nosebleed and a book around his head from Maka.

"It is when they're missing the beauty of Death City and all its symmetry." Kid reasoned.

Soul and Maka both raised their eyebrows and gave a slow nod.

"YAHOO!"

_Here comes Black Star. At least he broke that awkward silence. _Soul smirked.


	3. Chapter 3: Sunset Walk

Hello again! I hope you like this chapter. - Léa

**Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater.**

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><p>A few hours later, the doorknob turned and the door to their apartment opened. Soul and Maka went inside, Maka happier than before they left, an eventful game if basketball being the cause of that. Black Star had insisted playing against both Maka and Soul, as he argued that he was so powerful, he could wipe the floor with them, despite being outnumbered. Tsubaki and Kid sat on the bench looking on.<p>

Regardless of the odds, Black Star had beaten Soul and Maka. He went on to boast his superiority and his goal to surpass even God. It had all ended with laughs, however, because when Black Star attempted to shoot a victory hoop, he unknowingly ruined the hoop's perfect symmetry – and Kid had caught him unawares with a chop to the top of his head, causing the small group, other than Black Star of course, to erupt in laughter.

But at the apartment, Maka was still not back to her usual, outgoing self. Soul hated to see his friend like this, and figured she was still upset about the postcard that she received earlier that morning.

He had offered to make them a late lunch and she had accepted. After they finished eating, they each showered and changed. Soul was watching TV when Maka suggested she should tell her father about what the postcard had said. He agreed.

The air in the bathroom was still warm and humid enough from their showers to create condensation on the mirror. Maka quickly wrote out the familiar numbers in steam using her index finger, and said the words she knew would connect to Lord Death's location.

"42, 42, 564. Whenever you want to knock on Death's door."

Soul looked on, slightly nervous.

As soon as the words were spoken, the mirror cleared and several ripples passed over its surface, resembling the movements of water when something broke its stillness. Several chimes echoed through the small bathroom, confirming the connection. The kind face of Lord Death came into view. He raised his oversized hand in a greeting.

"Hey children!" He said kindly in his high-pitched voice. "How are things going?"

_That voice will always creep me out. It's not normal._ Thought Soul.

"Lord Death," Maka said. "Would you…would you mind if we visited? I need to tell Papa something." Her voice wavered slightly at the end of her sentence. She looked behind her, at Soul, for support. He gave her a reassuring smile.

"Of course you can, meister Maka. Just-" Something cut Lord Death short. A voice Maka knew all too well interrupted him offscreen.

"Maka? Is that you?" The red haired death scythe rudely shoved Lord Death out of the way of the screen. "MAKA! How is my baby? Are you safe? Are you eating healthy? Is the white haired knucklehead being nice to you? Are you training regularly? Be sure to sign in more often! I miss your adorable face and-"

A reaper chop coming from offscreen finally silenced his babbling. Lord Death pushed his way back into view. Maka glanced quickly at her father's crumpled form on the floor.

"Thanks for that." Maka said. Lord Death nodded.

"No problem. Now, getting back on the subject, visit anytime to talk with your father, or to tell me how you're doing."

"I shall. I'd like to visit now, if possible, because what I have to say-" She paused, looking down at her feet for a moment. "…it may upset him." She whispered. She looked up again when Soul rested his hand on her shoulder for comfort.

"I understand. I'll be expecting you." Said Lord Death.

Thanking him for his time, Maka signed off and when the mirror dulled and their reflections returned, she gave a sigh of relief.

"Come on. Let's go." Soul said. "I'll get the bike."

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><p>The journey to the academy was uneventful. Maka sat behind Soul on the motorbike, both of them silent. She wrapped her arms around his waist for security and rested her head on his back. She enjoyed feeling the warmth of his body seeping through his clothing. Soul smirked when he heard her sigh happily behind him.<p>

When they arrived at the door to where Lord Death resided, she hesitated, her hand hovering over the metal handle. Soul put his hand on her shoulder for reassurance again.

"It's okay Maka. I'm here if you need me." He said softly.

She nodded and with renewed confidence opened the door with a creak. They both entered and began to walk down the long archway towards the platform where Lord Death was usually found. He noticed them immediately and greeted them with what they guessed was smile (it was always hard to tell due to his mask) and they made their approach.

Maka saw her father sat facing in the opposite direction, rubbing the back of his head, presumably from the recent reaper chop, oblivious to their presence.

_So much for a high-class Death Scythe…_ Thought Soul.

Maka cleared her throat, which finally alerted the man. One moment he was sat nursing the prominent bump on his head, the next he was squeezing the air out of his daughter in a crushing hug.

"Maka my darling! Oh how I missed you! How you've grown! You look so adorable today!"

"_Papa!_" She moaned, half in annoyance and half due to the fact she couldn't breathe, her face flushing with embarassment as Soul held his obvious smirk.

Spirit released her from his arms at the sound of his daughter's struggling.

"Could…could we…" Maka stuttered.

Taking her hand in his, Soul squeezed it, assuring that it was okay. Spirit saw this and glared at him, but quickly focused back on Maka as she continued.

"Could we go for a walk?" Maka suggested.

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><p>As the sun began to grow tired and its laughing began to cease, the sky gradually gained an orange colouring. Maka, her father and Soul walked slowly through the quiet streets of Death City. Soul held back a few feet, giving them necessary privacy whilst still showing Maka his support. He had wondered why Spirit would need to know that his ex-wife would be away for at least another six months, but later realised that because he was Maka's father, and because he still claimed to love her mother (despite his repeated disloyalty) he had a right to know.<p>

Because he was walking behind them, he couldn't hear exactly what they were saying. He say Spirit abruptly stop walking, then turned to hug Maka, only this time, it wasn't an oh-my-god-I've-missed-you hug, but one that showed his love for his daughter, one that showed how much he cared.

Soul smiled a genuine smile as he watched father and daughter comfort each other. After a few minutes, Spirit was ready to wave his goodbyes to the pair and make his way back to the academy.

Maka turned to Soul who had since, out of habit, returned his hands to the pocket of his jacket.

"Thanks Soul, for being here."

Soul smirked, his pointed teeth gleaming. His hair almost looked orange in the light of the oncoming sunset.

"No problem." He replied.

As the shadows began to lengthen, both weapon and meister began to walk to where they'd left the bike. Maka knew, that with her friend's support, she'd be fine.

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><p>Hope it was okay! This isn't they end, though. I'm not sure of the ending yet, but I have an idea for the next chapter. Take a few seconds and review? They mean so much to me. Thank you! -Léa<p> 


	4. Chapter 4: Unwelcome appointment

Hey guys! Sorry this chapter took longer than the others did – school is awful at the moment. Everyone is revising for their exams that are in less than a fortnight. Kill me.

I wish to say a special thank you to my reviewers - you've beaten my record of seven reviews on a single story. Not many of course against those other people of got, but I don't care. I love you all. Thanks again. :)

**Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater****.**

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><p>The high pitched ringing sound cut through the silence suddenly, making Maka jump, almost dropping the large knife she was using to dice some carrots. The phone kept ringing…and ringing.<p>

"Soul!" She bellowed, her voice temporarily draining out the irritating sound of the phone.

Soul, who had been watching TV, snapped out of his zombie-like state. He opened his mouth to argue, to say that the basketball game he was watching so intently was just starting to get good. Maka noticed this, and held up the knife in a silent, but stern, warning. Soul rolled his eyes, sighed, and reluctantly pushed himself off from the sofa leaving the TV to roar on.

"Hello?" He said, answering the phone and finally stopping the consistent ringing.

"Hello, Soul? It's me, Mira."

"Oh, hey." He replied, a little enthusiastically. _A call from the resident school nurse is never a good sign. _He thought worriedly.

On the other end of the phone, Mira smirked. _As aloof as ever._

"Would you mind coming in? It's about time for your routine medical check."

Soul didn't bother hiding his groan. Maka overheard him and looked up from her mealtime preparation. She mouthed for him to 'be polite'. Soul sighed in slight annoyance.

"…Sure," He said, his voice again displaying his reluctance. "When should I visit?"

"Now would be great. An appointment's just become available due to a cancellation."

He said that was fine and said his goodbyes. Less than a minute after he first answered the phone, it was returned to its stand. Soul began making his way to his bedroom to grab his jacket, dragging his feet unethusiastically as he went.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Maka asked from the kitchen.

"No, it's fine," Soul rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "You're busy anyway. Thanks though." He said with a smile.

Reaching his room, he quickly retrieved his jacket from its resting place on the floor among the other items of dirty clothing.

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><p>On the way to his appointment, he began formatting a plan for avoiding it. He really hated them. A lot. He hated being prodded and poked from all sides with needles. He hated the blood tests that would most certainly be carried out. …Stein ensuring the scar on his chest was still holding together. He shuddered at the thought.<p>

_Maybe there'll be a lot of traffic and I'll get held up._ He hoped.

Despite Soul's wishful thinking, the journey was smooth and the roads were clear.

_Dammit._ He thought with a groan. _Just my luck._

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><p>The long hallway lined on either side with what seemed like an endless amount of doors marked his arrival at the academy.<p>

Finding the correct door wasn't difficult. He'd been here enough times to find it with his eyes closed. He raised his fist, and hesitated.

_Maybe I could still avoid this. I could turn around now and later say that I couldn't make it. _

He nearly scoffed at his own thoughts.

_This is ridiculous. If I don't get this over with now, I'll never live it down. I'll be known as the wimp who was scared of a stupid doctor's appointment._

Scared.  
><em>...Scared.<em>

His fist knocked on the wooden surface before he could have a chance to rethink. A moment later a kind voice sounded from inside the room, telling him to come in.

He opened the door, and was greeted by Mira sat on the chair by her desk. She was thumbing through a small pile of papers, but put them down when she saw Soul. She gave him a soft smile and gestured for him to sit.

Soul's gaze wandered to the small medical bed, with a blue strip of paper running down the centre. He closed the door behind him and went to sit down.

Mira swung her desk chair around to face him properly.

"So, how are you feeling today?"

"I'm good, I guess." Soul replied.

"As you know, it's my job to ensure all weapons and meisters are at their top physical condition, so I'm afraid I'll have to do some tests."

Soul nodded, attempting to hide his rare nervousness.

"I'll just check your heart first, then take some blood samples," Mira said. Soul listened intently, and dreaded what she was going to say next.

"...And then we'll get Professor Stein to check the scar on your chest, okay?"

Soul groaned inwardly. Just what he didn't want to hear.

"Sure." He responded.

Mira picked got her stethoscope from her desk drawer while Soul removed his jacket and shirt, revealing the long scar cutting through the muscles of his chest. Mira put the stethoscope in her ears and held up the metal disk.

"It might be a bit cold."

For the next minute or so, she listened to the regular rhythm of his heart, listening for any murmurs or irregularities.

"So how's Maka?" She asked, trying to make conversation. She noticed with a soft smile that his heart began to beat a little faster at her words.

"She's fine, I guess. Why do you ask?" Soul replied.

"No reason. It just seemed that you care for her very much."

"Of course I do. She's my friend. My meister – I protect her with my life." He said.

"I know," Mira said, moving the disk a little to the left on his chest. "It's just that there may be a little more to it than that…"

Soul flinched. "…What makes you think that?"

"The look in your eyes when she's near you." Replied, continuing to check his heart rate. She pulled away abruptly to write something on a sheet of paper on her desk. She removed the earpieces of the stethoscope from her ears, while Soul remained silent, stunned, by her words.

"I know it's not my place, but she should know." Mira said with a small smile. "It's always nice for a girl to know that someone...cares about them."

"…Y-yeah." He stuttered, his usual strong words temporarily eluding him.

Using his numbness to her advantage, she quickly inserted a readied needle and extracted a small amount of blood. He didn't complain – she wasn't even sure if he even felt it. She dabbed a small wad of cotton wool over were she put in the needle to catch the tiny spot of blood coming from it. Satisfied, she put the cotton wool in the nearby bin, noted something on the paper and told him that she was finished, and that Stein would be along to see him shortly.

Mira stood up to leave the room, but just before she opened the door, she felt Soul touch her arm.

"Thanks...for what you said." He whispered.

_It's rare he's like this..._ Mira thought.

"It's okay. I'm here to talk if you need me." She said kindly. He thanked her again and she left the room, leaving Soul on his own with his thoughts.

_Well that was weird. Was she telling the truth? I mean I like Maka, as I friend. Or do I? Do I like her more than that? Is it that obvious?_

_Do I look forward to seeing her? Always. _

_Would I protect her? Of course. _

_Would I be prepared to die for her? Yes._

The last question had an obvious answer. He put his hand over his scar. _This is proof of that._ He thought.

What had made him save her like that? To jump in front of an oncoming blade?

He couldn't remember. At the time, he wasn't even thinking, as if the action of using himself to shield her from the attack was instinctive – in the very fibre of his being. He just…did it.

Just how _did_ he feel about Maka?

He sat on the medical bed, his hand still held over his scar, just thinking.

_Wait. Let's think this through.  
>Everything she does makes me smile.<br>When I see her, I feel proud to know her.  
>When she touches me, even for a moment, my heart jumps.<br>I would die for her over and over again without hesitation.  
><em>

…_That's it.  
>Am I in love with her?<em>

A sudden voice broke him out of his thoughts.

"Hey Soul."

Apparently his intense thinking made him miss the fact Stein had entered the room.

"How's the scar?" He asked, a little creepily, his thick rimmed glasses catching the light of the room.

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><p><strong>A big step in the story's plot, methinks! It was really difficult to write this chapter - to write what Soul would be thinking and <span>how<span> he would be. Gah. I hope it turned out okay in the end. Expect chapter five very soon. - Léa**


	5. Chapter 5: Stitches

Hello guys! I know it's been a week or two since my last update. Sorry about that. My exams were hell. ;~;  
>I wish to say a huge thank you to all my reviewers! Without you I wouldn't have the motivation to continue this story. Thanks again. :)<p>

I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Disclaimer: I don't or ever will own the masterpiece that is Soul Eater.**

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><p>"Spirit sends his regards." Stein said, grabbing a medical instrument from the cupboard behind him. Soul barely had the time to register it before Stein was sat down on the now vacant desk chair and began poking at Soul's scar intently, a somewhat unnerving look in his eye.<p>

"Yeah right," Soul replied, flinching slightly at the discomfort of Stein's examination. "What did he _really _say?"

Stein just smirked. "Heh. You know, the usual things he says about you."

Soul knew exactly what 'the usual' meant. It meant the usual rant about how Soul didn't deserve Maka his meister and how 'his baby' needed a weapon that he, her father, actually approved of; not some immature, aloof boy with the 'weird look' about him. Spirit had never taken a particular liking to Soul – and had often showed his disapproval of him whenever he saw him with Maka.

Meanwhile, Stein continued poking along the edges of the now faded marks of the stitches. Soul guessed he was secretly a little disappointed at the fact that the wound had healed well. It meant that it didn't have to be redone. The thought of dissection, even though Stein would only be replacing the stitching, worried him a bit.

With a final poke of his instrument, Stein withdrew. Soul noticed that since he had sat down on the chair, he had positioned the backrest so that it was in front of him, and had lent on it with his forearms. He always did have that habit of sitting backwards on chairs. A little weird, in Soul's opinion.

"All fine." Stein reassured. Soul picked up on a hint of hesitation in his words. That confirmed it. Stein was disappointed he wouldn't have to redo it, and Soul was glad.

Breathing a small sigh of relief, Soul was happy that the uncomfortable prodding of the medical instruments was over.

"But you know," Stein muttered, almost under his breath. He reached up to adjust his glasses, which for a moment caught the light before his gaze closed in on Soul again. "This isn't like me. At _all_, for that matter, but I've never believed in holding back one's feelings. I taught Spirit that years ago, and judging by the way he speaks of you, he learnt that lesson all too well."

Stein turned away to look out the nearby window. A soft breeze appeared to blow briskly through the streets, and the now quiet but constant monotone laughter of the sun could be heard. A few fallen leaves, plucked from their branches by the wind, were carried past the window on the breeze.

"Maybe one day, maybe I'll take my own advice." Stein said, smiling inwardly.

Soul was yet to understand what he meant, and sat in silence, unsure of how to reply. _This guy was always a little freakish. _Soul thought.

Stein seemed to notice his confused expression, and a malevolent grin formed on his lips. "Excuse me. Feelings...never my strong point." He smirked.

He gestured for Soul to put his shirt back on. Soul complied, but still held his what-the-hell-are-you-on-about look. The words Stein said next would answer his question.

"If you like Maka, tell her."

Soul's eyes widened. _Where the hell had that come from?_ "I don't know what you're talking about." He snapped in alarm. "I don't like Maka...like..._that_."

"Sorry kid, but you're a terrible liar." Stein replied.

Soul opened his mouth to retaliate, to argue that what Stein was saying was utter bull, that Maka and he was just friends, nothing more. It wasn't five minutes ago he was having this argument with himself, just after Mira had left the room. Was Stein really able to read people like that? Had Mira told Stein what they were talking about? Soul wasn't even sure yet of his own feelings yet. He needed time to think.

There was no point to argue, of course, because Soul's sudden dismissal had proved what he really thought. Stein's smirk intensified, knowing he had been victorious.

"If you want, I can have a word with Spirit."

The mention of Maka's father was enough to make Soul swallow, a lump in his throat, and he had little idea why. He knew he wasn't scared of the infamous death sythe, as Soul had seen what kind of an over-emotional person he could be, especially when he saw Maka.

"Why?" Soul asked.

"To convince him to perhaps refrain from tearing your head off." Stein responded calmly, reaching up to his head once again, only this time turning the screw protruding from the side of his head a few rotations.

"Ah." Soul said, his usual aloof personality nowhere to be seen.

"The scar's fine, so I'll be off. I have a meeting with a subject in desperate need of dissection. I still need to fufill my daily goal of making at least one of my students with weaker stomachs faint." Stein said, standing from the desk chair. It seemed he'd grown tired of attempting to wheel out the room backwards. Soul guessed this was because he'd had enough of making a fool of himself when the wheels inevitably caught on the floor, more often than not causing him to fall over.

Soul nodded in response. Stein turned to head for the door, his long scientist coat that was covered in lines of stitches flowing at his sides. Just before he turned the knob to open the door, Stein glanced back at his patient, the familar, slightly unnerving grin still evident on his face.

"Remember next week we have a dissection scheduled in class. I managed to get hold of an elephant just for your group - I expect to see you there." He said before opening the door in one smooth motion and made his way out the door, leaving Soul to think about his earlier words. Soul waited until the sound of Stein's footsteps faded down the length of the hallway before releasing a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding.

Well. That was weird.

_Is it that obvious that I like Maka?_ He thought.

He'd only just figured it out for himself. Still sat on the medical bed, now in silence, Soul ran his now clammy hands through his hair. This was so unlike him. This terrified him to the core.

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><p><strong>You wouldn't believe how difficult this chapter was to write. I really struggled to keep them in character. I hope it was okay. D:<br>Expect a new chapter soon. That is, if I figure out what it'll be about. o.o**


	6. Chapter 6: A new mission

Howdy! Sorry this is a little late. Life's being hectic at the moment. I think this is my favourite chapter so far. I made sure to concentrate more on descriptions. :) - Léa

**Disclaimer: Yada yada I don't own Soul Eater.  
><strong>

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><p>"Tell me again why we're here." Soul asked with a sigh, hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket.<p>

"Don't you ever listen?" Maka replied with a huff. Soul just shrugged in response.

Trudging down the lane during a downpour always managed to lessen the mood of a mission. Maka and Soul were about an hour out of the city, and travelling a few miles more in order to reach an isolated patch of forest that held previously unrecorded danger. Their task was to investigate and ultimately eliminate a murderer who was last seen in the depths of the forest. Normally Maka would have accepted such a task with great enthusiasm, but the heavy rain had effectively brought a stop to that. Plus the effort of packing extra supplies to combat the rain had also got her down. Extra blankets, rain coats and even a rain protector for the camp were needed. The thought of sleeping on wet ground depressed her even more.

"…all Lord Death said was that a number of hikers and walkers had gone missing – presumably a murderer who has taken their souls." Maka explained, getting severely annoyed at the fact that her ashen hair was sticking to her now wet face.

"A kishin egg mission, huh? Finally." Soul said with a smirk. He certainly looked forward to consuming the soul of a human turned evil. It'd been a while since he'd been given the chance.

"We'll walk for another hour or so and then we can set up camp." Maka said. Soul nodded in reply. Raising his head to look up at the dark sky, the cloud cover refusing to let barely any light to penetrate it, Soul sighed again. At least the rain seemed to be letting up. At last.

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><p>It wasn't until the pair made it to the edge of the forest a little more than a hour later that the rain finally decided to cease its assault. Both weapon and meister took down the hoods of their rain coats. The air seemed more humid there than where they'd come from.<p>

The clearing they'd chosen to use as their temporary camp was situated a short way from a small river, providing a source of clean water they could use. The clearing itself seemed perfect for a camp. Soul guessed it'd been used before by hikers and such – the ground had been flattened slightly, it was absent of any plants or rocks, and the ashes of an old fire stood in the centre, now sodden from the rain.

Maka began unloading her pack at the opposite side of the clearing. Soul, thinking he should make himself useful, he dropped his own pack from his shoulder and began to walk a little way into the forest to look for firewood. The faster he found some, the faster they could both dry off.

It was beginning to get late. The little light that was there before was starting to go. Soul guessed it was about 6pm. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the wood he found was wet through, and therefore unsuitable for the fire. Some he found, however, had been protected from the rain by the overhead canopy of dense trees.

He returned to the clearing in about fifteen minutes, with an armful of sticks and branches, much to Maka's delight. She'd used the time he'd been gone to clear away the ashes of the old fire, making room for the firewood. After a few minutes the fire was lit and well enough established to cook a meal for them both.

Maka fetched the saucepan from her pack, which sat on the ground nearby. Soul offered to fill it with water from the river, which she accepted. All this was done with few words of communication between them. It just seemed…awkward. Neither of them had no real idea why. It was if something had changed between them, whatever that 'something' may be.

A short while later, Maka had prepared a thin, almost tasteless broth from the few food supplies they'd packed, for which she'd apologised for. Soul was grateful for something warm in him anyway. Drying their clothes by the fire, the final specks of light faded and the pair were left only with the light emitted from the campfire. Now seemed the right time to go over mission details.

"We'll set off early tomorrow morning into the forest. I don't know how we'll find this guy, but the least we can do is look, I guess." Maka said, wrapping the blanket tighter around her shoulders. Soul nodded in response.

"Do we know what he looks like?" Soul replied.

"Lord Death only said the locals had seen something big running away from the scene."

"Couldn't it simply be an animal doing it then? Like a wolf or a bear? They're pretty common in these parts." Soul said, rather more nervously than he'd hoped. He turned to look into the darkness of the forest behind him, as if said animal would be there, staring back at him. He saw nothing, only darkness.

"No. Lord Death said the way they were disappearing was in a pattern similar to a being collecting human souls." Maka said with a shrug, signalling she knew no more. "All I know is that the hikers disappeared deeper in the forest, and we're on the edge of it, so we should be fine tonight." She said, as if answering her own anxiety. Soul nodded again.

"I think we should get some sleep. Trudging through the mud all day really tired me out." Maka continued. Soul silently agreed, and moved to lay out a blanket each for them to sleep on. The fire had dried the ground in its immediate proximity, so they didn't need to worry about the ground being wet after all, for which they were both thankful for. They hadn't packed a tent because that would have proved more trouble than it was worth; the unwanted extra weight in their packs, and also the stress of putting it up.

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><p>As they both bedded down by the fire, a few feet away from each other, Maka fell asleep almost immediately. Soul however, chose to stay awake until he was sure it was safe for the two of them to sleep. At least, that's what he <em>told<em> himself he was doing. In reality it was probable he couldn't sleep if he tried. Too many thoughts and feelings clouded his brain.

He looked at Maka. She always seemed so tranquil when she slept. The way her chest steadily rose and fell with her breathing and the way that her ashen hair always managed to fall over her eyes almost intrigued him.

As if feeling his gaze, Maka mumbled something in her sleep and shifted, turning onto her other side, presenting Soul with the view of her back. Her blanket, its edges frayed a little due to age, fell slightly from her shoulders. Within seconds she stirred again, this time moving to embrace her crumbled jacket she'd chosen to use as a pillow, exhaling with a soft feminine sigh. Soul had offered her his own to use instead of hers but she'd declined. She said she'd rather not get mud on his prized leather jacket. Soul, however, wasn't that bothered about it. It could always be washed.

The noise of a twig snapping in the undergrowth suddenly tore his attention away from his meister's sleeping form. In the firelight Soul saw a small fox, probably just a juvenile, emerge from the darkness of the forest, much like a phantom. It was most likely to have been curious about the glow from the fire, and came to investigate. Its gaze met Soul's, black glassy eyes meeting blood red. After a moment of silence, the fox broke its stare and turned to slink back the way it came, its curiosity fulfilled. As it disappeared from view, its fur was made an even more of a brilliant orange thanks to the fire, its coat almost appearing to be ablaze. Soul released a heavy breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding.

Happy he and his meister were safe, he finally settled to rest his head in the warmth of his own jacket. He adjusted his blanket, and looked over again at Maka, whose regular pattern of breathing convinced him that she was still asleep. Just before sleep claimed his own weary body, he whispered a quiet "Goodnight, Maka."

Unbeknown to him, Maka wasn't a deep sleeper. She'd been immediately awake from the sound of the sharp snap of the twig. She smiled when hearing Soul's words. Her eyes fluttered closed again, but not before whispering a hushed "Goodnight, Soul."

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><p><strong>To be continued soon. :)<strong>


	7. Chapter 7: Under attack

I'm so sorry I'm so late! It's been what, six months? That's terrible of me, but it's only know that I've thought of an ending I'm actually happy with. I'm so sorry to keep you all waiting! Thank you for all your support. Enjoy this last chapter. - Léa

**Disclaimer: Soul Eater isn't mine. Kay? Kay.**

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><p>Maka's ascent into full conciousness seemed faster than usual, as if something was pulling her back to reality from the realm of deep sleep.<p>

Wake up.

Wake up.

Wake _up_.

She resisted, wanting to remain in a peaceful slumber for a while longer. She didn't _want_ to wake up, but whatever was pulling her out of her dreams kept on pulling. Her eyes opened a crack, and instantly she recognised that pull as instinct.

She heard a rustle in the trees behind her, and automatically looked over at Soul. He was still fast asleep, blissfully unaware of the noises coming from the trees surrounding their camp. During the night he'd somehow managed to wriggle out from under his blanket and was sprawled on his back, one arm flung carelessly over his face, hiding his closed eyes, the other resting on part of his lower chest exposed by his t-shirt when it'd ridden up as he shifted. He snored loudly, still oblivious to the noises.

Maka tried to breathe as quietly as possible to be able to hear the sounds more clearly, but Soul's constant snoring made her efforts fruitless. The noises around them had increased now, the snapping of twigs and the rustling of leaves ringing in her ears.

Their target? Or just more inquisitive animals?

_There's no way to tell until it stops moving around so quickly._ She thought. _I can't focus on its soul when it's like this. We need to be ready, ready to—_

A particularly loud snore came from Soul.

Maka groaned in annoyance, and out of sheer habit she grabbed a book from her nearby backpack and flung it in her weapon's general direction. She smirked to herself when she heard the satisfying _thunk_ of the book hitting its target. Soul let out a pained yell and sat up immediately, nursing a growing bump on his head.

"MAKA! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?" He bellowed.

She didn't answer, only held a finger to her lips as an instruction for him to become silent. His angry expression left his face immediately.

At that moment whatever was stalking them chose to move again, the rustling sounding a lot closer than they did before. With a nod to each other both weapon and his meister jumped up suddenly and stood back to back, ready to defend themselves.

They were both still, Maka shifting only to get the unruly spikes of Soul's bedhead from tickling the back of her neck.

"What do you think it is?" Sould asked in a hushed tone.

"I don't know." Maka whispered in reply.

Without another word to each other, Soul transformed into his scythe form Maka held her weapon tightly whilst she stood in a crouch, the feeling that they were being watched overpowering her senses now.

The meister could sense a soul, and an evil one at that, but it was impossible to get a fix on it because of the creature's great speed. It, whatever 'it' was, was circling the pair, closing in on its prey. The noises came to a sudden stop.

Only silence filled the clearing now, as if time itself had slowed to a stop. There seemed to be no movement, no shivering of the leaves in the soft breeze or the trickling of water in the stream a short distance away.

"I thought you said he wouldn't be this close to the edge of the forest?" Soul hissed.

Maka huffed. "I could be wrong! It's not like it has a tracker!" She shouted at him, only realising immediately after that that was just a tad too loud for their situation.

A horrific, bloodcurdling scream filtered from the cover of the forest before them, and barely a moment later the huge creature, what they assumed to be their murderer crashed through the trees. It flashed towards them, its speed incredible, Maka only managing to find the time to use Soul to block the clawed swipe of their target.

She jumped away, breathing heavily. The murderer was hunched over on all fours a few metres away, and it was now that Maka could get a good look at the thing that had found them. He stood around seven feet at the shoulder, his skin blacked an leathery, his teeth wildly overgrown and dripping with saliva. His eyes seemed empty of all humanity and filled with murderous intent.

"Are you okay, Maka?" Soul whispered worriedly. Maka nodded in response, her stare not leaving their target. Now he was still she was able to look more closely at his soul.

_We're here just in time. He's just a few souls away from becoming a kishin._

They needed to stop him, to bring his murder spree to an end. _Now. _Their target almost seemed to read her thoughts, as it was at that moment that he chose to charge towards them. With the reaction time that came only from years of experience, Maka easily avoided him and dodged to the left. He charged again, snarling angrily and raising a leathery arm, his long claws swiping at her head. She ducked, the creature's attack throwing him off balance. His heavy forelimbs proved a disadvantage and Maka took her chance.

She swung her scythe at his head but a fast dodge from him made her miss, and their target retaliated by throwing her into the trunk of a nearby tree, her body going limb like a ragdoll. She coughed as the wind was knocked out of her.

Hardly able to breathe Soul realised her distress and changed back into his human form to try and help her. He picked her up and had to jump away to avoid a further attack from their opponent.

Fortunately, the creature was too fast for its own good and charged full force into the tree, knocking himself out. Soul smirked at his hunched body and turned to his meister.

"Maka." He said sternly, reaching out to brush a lock of her ashen her from her eyes as she tried to breathe normally.

"I'm fine." She said, opening her eyes a little to look at him. His normally confident eyes were now filled with worry. She smiled at how the early morning sunlight caught the spikes of his hair, colouring it a soft orange and making it appear as if it was on fire.

Soul smirked again in response, his sharp teeth showing.

"Good. Now stand up and let's finish the job." He said.

Maka nodded, and with a little help got herself back on her feet. She used the back of her sleeve to wipe away the dirt from her forehead, and with a reset determination stood to face their opponent. Soul transformed back into a scythe, and as she gripped him tightly she saw the creature come to. It snarled nastily as it got back up, still a little wobbly but still a considerable threat nonetheless.

Maka readied herself as it charged towards her once again. She raised Soul to block the swipe of the clawed hand coming from the left, as it had before.

She was wrong.

His right hand smashed into her and she was thrown across the clearing, this time knocked unconscious. Her weapon was sent flying in the opposite direction, and despite Soul immediately returning to his human form and trying to run to his meister, the creature was still inbetween him and a defenceless Maka.

He tried to cut past his foe but it stopped him immediately. He couldn't reach her.

"Maka! Maka! Wake up, dammit!"

No reply. She lay slumped on the floor, the creature slowly approaching her.

"Hey you!" Soul shouted at him. "Stop!"

Again, no reply.

"HEY!" Soul bellowed again, this time grabbing the nearest rock and throwing it at him. Luckily his talent as basketball allowed him to strike the creature directly in the back of the head. That got its attention.

"Don't you _dare_ ignore me, you bastard." Soul seethed.

The creature growled angrily, and turned to face Soul. Soul smirked.

"This ends now." He said, charging at his opponent as fast as he could. The creature did the same, and it was here again that time seemed to slow.

Maka let out a pained breath as she recovered from her minute or so of unconsciousness. She saw the murderer, teeth bared and claws ready, running flat out towards her weapon that was still in human form. He didn't stand a chance.

She wanted to shout, to scream and yell for Soul to stop and instead run away, but her throat clenched and prevented any attempt to do so to come out as but a wheezy whisper.

She stared, wide-eyed, as Soul jumped up from the ground at the last possible moment and in midair transform into his scythe form. The blade sliced through the creature's body before it had a chance to react.

It was done.

The next thing she knew, Soul was holding her in his arms again, and she was smiling.

The red glow of the creature's soul floated a short distance away, but they'd deal with it later.

"I thought I'd lost you." Soul whispered, hugging her close to his chest.

"You didn't." She replied, gripping his shirt.

"I love you."

Her eyes widened a second time, and she pulled away from him slightly, meeting his gaze.

_What did he did say?_

This was like a movie. This was a dream, a fairytale. Stuff like this didn't happen to people like her. People with what she thought had awful hair, no boobs to speak of…or curves _at all_ for that matter.

Soul noticed her stunned silence and swallowed, terrified for her reply.

_Crap. I've ruined it. I've ruined everything._

"Soul…I…I."

_She's going to say that she doesn't feel the same. I've ruined everything._

_Dammit._ Maka thought, angry at her inability to say three little words. Three damn words. _It isn't hard!_ She scolded herself.

…And yet, those words held so much meaning. Three little insignificant words that should mean the world to anyone who heard them.

Did she love him? Yes.  
>He was her best friend, at times her worst enemy. The way he grinned that infamous toothy grin of his, the way he smelt, like cinnamon with a tiny hint of something else. The spicy masculine scent that was unique to him soothed her in a way few other things did. Even the way he walked – so confident and assuring. He was so kind. So caring. So…there weren't words for it.<p>

"I love you too, Soul."

Then he smiled. Not the said grin that resembled that of a mischievous child that had just got away with putting a tack on Stein's chair, but instead a genuine smile, one she's rarely seen in the years that she'd known him.

She loved Soul Eater Evans.

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><p>Wah! So sappy! Sorry about that, best I could do. I had trouble writing this chapter - I think I may have made Maka seem weaker than she actually is. Oops. Oh well - it's finished! I understand that the whole Maka's mother plot didn't really go anywhere, but I didn't that on purpose. I really didn't know who to continue that part on, so I decided to leave it for you guys to think about, so to speak. This isn't the end for Maka and Soul, it's only the beginning. ;)<p>

Thank you for all you continued support. I value all of my readers. Thank you all so much. - Léa


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